Two Half Demons, Twice the Trouble
by Gailstorm
Summary: All this time, Kagome has been helping Inu Yasha find the Shikon jewel shards. Why? So he can become a complete demon. What will she do when she meets another half demon with opposite intentions?
1. Going Home

I don't own Inu-Yasha. Unfortunately, Rumiko Takahashi thought of it first. So, I am merely borrowing it for a while. Please do not sue. The only thing that I could possibly give you is pocket lint, and that's only on a good day. That said, please enjoy the story.  
  
Okay, I made a couple of changes. I went back and looked really hard for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I also put the story into shorter paragraphs as several reviewers suggested. Hopefully, it will be easier to read.  
  
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The sound of someone running broke the eerie silence surrounding the Bone Eater's Well. In the distance, a young girl, carrying a very large backpack could be seen making her way between the trees. Every once in a while she would stop and glance behind her. Then, with a look of worried annoyance on her face, she would continue running.  
  
The girl had almost reached the well when the cause of her annoyance came crashing through the brush and into the clearing. The annoyance in question was a certain white haired hanyou. He took a running leap and landed with perfect grace on top of the well. " Inu Yasha", the girl said in a tired voice. "Kagome", he answered rather angrily. " We go through this every time. I stay here for a while and help you look for the Shikon jewel shards. Then I get to go home for a few days, you know this", she said pointedly.  
  
The dog demon glared at her before saying, " I know that you're always leaving us behind so you can go take those tests." " Those tests are very important.", Kagome said calmly. Inu Yasha sniffed and said, " Not nearly as important as the Shikon jewel." The sky behind her grew dark as she yelled, " Get out of my way, Inu Yasha! You are not gonna stop me from going home." The half-demon stared down at her with a smug little smile on his face. " I'm not moving, and you aren't going anywhere", he smirked. The last of what little patience she had left finally dissipated. In retaliation, she yelled, " SIT", at the top of her lungs.  
  
Inu Yasha instantly found himself face down in the dirt beside the well. While he was on the ground, Kagome dropped her pack into the well and then jumped in after it. Inu Yasha stood up, but not fast enough to catch Kagome. " Feh, stupid girl. If she thinks I'm going after her then she's got another thing coming.", he said to himself. Angrily, he dusted himself off, made a face in the general direction of the well, and slowly walked back the way he came.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile in modern Tokyo, Kagome landed with a thud on the dusty bottom of the well. She stood up, rubbed her backside, and said, " Ouch! I really have to find a better way to do this." Her backpack lay on the ground beside her, so she grabbed it and began to climb out of the well. As she did so, her thoughts drifted back to her last encounter with Inu Yasha. " Stupid...stupid hanyou. Thought he could keep me from going home did he? Maybe I'll just stay here, and never go back. That'd show him." she muttered to herself.  
  
She hopped over the side of the well and found herself, once again, looking at the familiar walls of her family shrine. Kagome opened the doors that enclosed the well and took off running towards her house. She couldn't wait to take a bath, a nice long bath. Exploring the Sengoku period of Japan was fun and all, but nothing beats the joys of indoor plumbing. However, all her wonderful plans of getting clean and then getting something to eat were cut drastically short.  
  
There stood in her yard, about half way between the house and the shrine, a boy who looked to be about her own age. His hair was the oddest shade of green. It was a color that was somewhat darker than the grass he stood on, yet lighter than the leaves on the trees that surrounded them. He had his back turned to her, and appeared not to notice that anyone was behind him. Kagome coughed, and said, "Um...hello? Can I help you?"  
  
Slowly, the boy turned to face her. She was able to see his face for the first time. His hair wasn't his only peculiar feature. She only knew two people with eyes that color and she had left both of them back in feudal Japan. Walking towards her, he said, " Well, If it isn't the ever elusive Higurashi Kagome." Slightly shocked that this mysterious person already knew her name, she said the first thing that came to her mind, " Did you know that you have green hair?"  
  
The boy looked at her with a blank expression on his face and then began to laugh. " You know most people would've said something like who are you or how do you know my name. What an amusing question. And finally, to answer your question, I am fully aware of the fact that I have green hair.", he said after he finished laughing. Kagome blushed a little. What had possessed her ask that out loud? He stopped and stood just inches in front of her. She took half a step backwards before asking, " So, just who are you and what do you want?" He stared at her for a minute or two then said, " Hmm, demanding aren't we? In that case, I think I'll tell you. I am Kobayashi Yuki and I want what you've got."  
  
(A/N: Well, how's that for my first chapter. This is my first Inu Yasha fic, so hopefully I didn't mess it up to bad. Please don't flame too harshly. However, constructive criticism is appreciated. And thanks to anyone who reads it!!) 


	2. Just a Green Haired Stranger

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha, and I never will. ;_; Now I feel sad. Just ignore me and keep on reading.  
  
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His rather forward statement surprised her so much that it took a moment for her to think of something to say. " I have many things, Kobayashi san. For instance, I have a brother and I'm certainly not going to let you have him. Maybe, you could be a bit more specific." The green haired boy sighed and said, " Perhaps I was too ambiguous. But I had thought, that you, of all people would know what it is that I want."  
  
His eyes narrowed slightly making him look almost evil. Kagome took another step backwards. This Kobayashi guy was making her quite nervous. She thought about his last remark and wondered what on earth he wanted. Realization came to her suddenly causing her panic level to increase steadily. " Y-You can't mean.... Surely you don't want the Shikon jewel?", she stuttered.  
  
He smiled and said, " I knew you were a smart girl. Just hand it over, and I won't have to do anything I might regret later." " What should I do? What should I do?", she thought worriedly. The jewel shards were hidden somewhere in the depths of her backpack. There was no way that she could let this guy have them. Inu Yasha would be furious with her. Not only that, but she had worked too hard to find the shards to just give them up without a fight.  
  
His quiet voice broke through her thoughts, " The sooner the better, please. I hate waiting." Kagome breathed out slowly, then said, " I'm sorry, but I don't have it with me." The boy stopped smiling and his voice became suddenly colder, " Don't lie. I can feel its power coming from that monstrous thing you're carrying on your back. I did warn you, but I guess I'll have to take it by force. Thing's could have been so much easier."  
  
Kagome watched in horror as the boy in front of her completely disappeared. She whirled around in a desperate attempt find him. " Stay away from me! I am not going to give you the jewel!", she screamed. She felt something hard slam into the back of her neck, and the world around her faded to black.  
  
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Inu Yasha made his way back to the village, with angry thoughts of Kagome running through his head all the while, " Stupid.... stupid girl, always running away. If it weren't for these stupid prayer beads I'd make it so she couldn't ever leave." He found the rest of his traveling companions lounging around in front of Kaede sama's house.  
  
Miroku and Sango were sitting on the front steps, and they both looked half- asleep. Miroku looked up and said, " I see that Kagome sama has left you once again." Inu Yasha growled and said, " She went to go take some of those tests." Shippo, who had been busy playing in the dirt, looked up when he heard Kagome's name mentioned. He leaped up from where he was sitting and landed on Inu Yasha's shoulder.  
  
" She's always taking those test things. If Kagome takes tests, then I want to take them too!", he said happily. Inu Yasha yelled, " Hey! Get offa me!", then swatted him off his shoulder. Shippo rubbed his head and cried out, " If Kagome was here, she wouldn't let you do that. She'd sit you!!" The silver haired hanyou ignored the little kitsune's complaints and walked away. He wanted to find some place quiet to await Kagome's return. Things were always so boring, when she wasn't there.  
  
(A/N: Thanks to kmf for reviewing!! I am sorry that this chapter is so short, but I had a tiny case of writer's block. Don't worry, I have many good ideas for the next chapter. I hope everyone likes the story so far.) 


	3. To Keep Her Family Safe

When Kagome finally came to, she could hear someone moving around next to her. She kept her eyes firmly shut, because she was afraid of what she might see if she opened them. At that very moment, there were only two things that she was absolutely sure of. One was that the back of her neck hurt very much, and the other was that she was lying on something soft.  
  
" I see you're awake now. You can go ahead and open your eyes", whispered a familiar voice. Slowly, very slowly, Kagome opened her eyes. There was standing over top of her, with his face very close to hers, the mysterious Kobayashi Yuki. " AAAHH", she screamed and slapped his face away. The boy quickly backed away from her and said angrily, " Hey, keep it down. I can't have everyone knowing that I'm in here." " Where is here?", she whispered softly. " Don't be stupid! If you'd only look around, you will find that we're in your room.", he replied.  
  
Sitting up, she took a swift glance around her. The familiar, safe walls of her bedroom were a comforting sight. Confused, Kagome asked, " What kind of a bad guy are you? And what did you do to my neck?" He scowled, and said, " Who ever said I was a bad guy? Sorry about your neck, but I did give you a warning." She opened her mouth to ask him if he was some kind of lunatic, but was rudely interrupted. " Listen, I don't have all day so don't ask me anymore silly questions. I will be asking all the questions from here on out.", he said slightly annoyed.  
  
Kagome glared at him, because he was really starting to remind her of Inu Yasha. He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at her from across the room. The bottle that contained the jewel shards landed in her lap. " What in the hell happened to the Shikon no Tama? Why is it in pieces?", he yelled. She could feel herself blushing and lowered her head. " I.. I guess that's kinda my fault, Kobayashi san.", she said apologetically.  
  
He cut her off again, before she could tell him the whole story. "Damn", he muttered, " I really needed the thing to be whole. And stop calling me Kobayashi san. We are going to get to know each other really well so you can drop the formalities, Kagome. Yuki will do just fine."  
  
" Just what are you talking about", Kagome asked. " It's obvious that you're collecting the shards. So, from now on, you will be collecting them for me.", Yuki answered. " And if I don't particularly feel like helping you?", she questioned. The boy shook his head and said sadly, " That'd be too bad. I'd hate for anything to happen to your family. I've met them and they are really quite nice. If you don't cooperate with me I will have no choice but to hurt them."  
  
She leaped off the bed, suddenly to angry to think straight. " You leave them out of this!", she yelled. Yuki vanished, then appeared right in front of her. He grabbed her hands and stared down at her with serious gold eyes. " Do as I say and I promise that no harm will come to them.", he assured her. " I'll find them for you", she said somewhat defeated.  
  
The sound of her mother's voice broke the tension. He let go of her hands and said, "Good, very good. Then I'll be seeing you around, Kagome." Before he disappeared for the second and final time, Yuki flashed her a wide smile. That was the first time she saw his sharp fangs.  
  
Kagome stood quietly in the middle of her room, taking deep breaths, and trying to calm down. It wouldn't do to have her mom see her so shaken up. A minute later there was a knock on her door. "Come in, Mom.", she said quickly. The door opened, and her mother stepped inside the room. " I just came to see if you were doing alright. You passed out near the shrine. Sota had to help me carry you inside. Kagome, you shouldn't work yourself so hard when you're helping Inu Yasha.", she said as she smiled brightly.  
  
Kagome apologized, and gave her mom a hug. " You should do nothing but rest for the remainder of the day. I'll wake you up when its time for dinner.", said her mother before she left the room. Once her mom was gone, she laid back down on her bed and began to think about all the trouble that she was in.  
  
(A/N: I'm sorry that the first two chapters were somewhat hard to read. Hopefully, this chapter will be easier on the eyes. And just to let everyone know, this will be an Inu Yasha/Kagome fic. They are so cute!! Thanks to anyone who reviewed. ^_^ ) 


	4. Now She's Got a Plan

" That boy can't be normal.", was her first thought. He had fangs like Inu Yasha, only his were longer. Perhaps, Yuki was some kind of demon. That would explain his amazing ability to suddenly vanish and then appear right before her eyes, and the sharp teeth. " So what is he doing here? And how did he know about me?", she wondered.  
  
There were other problems to contemplate as well, such as what she should do about Inu Yasha. One solution would be to stop going down the well. However, that would make things even more difficult. Inu Yasha would eventually come looking for her, and then she'd have lots of explaining to do. Also, to the best of her knowledge, most of the jewel shards were in feudal Japan. " I have to go back, there's no avoiding it.", she thought bitterly.  
  
Sleeping was impossible for Kagome, because two horrible outcomes kept flashing through her mind. If she ignored Yuki's warnings, and continued to assist Inu Yasha then her family would get hurt. On the other hand, the thought of betraying him and giving the shards to Kobayashi wasn't very pleasant either. Completely miserable she rolled over on her stomach. That's when it hit her, a most wonderful idea, the answer to all of her problems. " All I have to do is tell Inu Yasha that there's a demon boy trying to steal the shards. I'm sure he'll come back with me and make it so that Yuki never bothers me again.", she thought feeling very much relieved. Now that she had a clear plan of action, sleep didn't seem so very far away at all.  
  
The rest of the weekend went smoothly. Kagome was finally able to do all the things she'd been dreaming about. Taking a nice long bath was just one of those things. Her mother had surprised her and made oden for dinner one evening. Oden was, quite possibly, her favorite food. Yuki hadn't shown up either, which made her time at home all that more enjoyable. Briefly, very briefly, she'd considered returning earlier than normal to enlist Inu Yasha's help. That thought was quickly pushed out of her head. Spending time with her family was more important, and she wasn't ready to start the search for the shards yet. After two days of trying to catch up with her schoolwork, she'd go back. Even school would be a nice break from roughing it in the woods with Inu Yasha and the others. Little did she know the surprises waiting for her on Monday morning.  
  
Kagome sat in her desk, silently waiting for class to begin. Her friends, who were busy talking about all of the things they had done that weekend, surrounded her. She ignored the conversation, because there were more important things to think about. Math, for instance, was her worst subject and she simply had to do better if she didn't want to fail. " Besides", she thought, " What could I possibly contribute to the conversation?" Just imagining herself saying, " This weekend I came home from a week long camping trip in the Sengoku period. Oh yeah, then I got threatened by a strange guy with green hair and fangs.", made her cringe. They'd all think she was crazy, so she kept quiet and let the idle chatter drift over her. That was until the words 'green hair' were mentioned. " Say that again!", she said rather loudly. One of her friends, Kisa, said, " Didn't you hear about it? We're getting a new student in our class. Rumor has it that he's got green hair.", " This can't be happening.", Kagome thought wildly. She was about to ask Kisa another question when the door to the classroom flew open, and the teacher walked in.  
  
Students ran to their seats so that class could begin. Their teacher arranged some papers on her desk, before standing at the front of the room to address the class. " As I am sure you already know, there will be a new student joining us today. He transferred here from Niigata, and I want you all to make him feel welcome.", she advised them. Miraculously, only seconds later there was a knock at the door. " That must be him.", Kisa whispered to Kagome. The teacher opened the door and in walked the detestable green haired demon boy. " Alright, I'll let him introduce himself, then we'll get down to business as usual.", she told them. He stared at Kagome with a slight smile on his face then said, " I'm Kobayashi Yuki, and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you." She had a sudden sinking feeling that maybe the answer to her problem wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.  
  
(A/N: Okay, here's the fourth chapter!! Sorry about the upload mistake (. That's what happens when I try to upload my story so late at night. It might have been a little obvious to have Yuki go to her school, but it fits right into my plans. Thanks to everyone who reviewed ^_^ Oh yeah, and I got the name Kisa from Fruits Basket. It's just another one of the great anime/ manga that I don't own.) 


	5. What's He Doing Here?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha, Rumiko Takahashi does. I do have Inu Yasha volumes 1 through 6. I love the manga!  
  
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He was told to sit in a seat that was on the other side of the classroom from Kagome. " At least I won't have to sit by him", she thought to herself. The morning went by fast, and for the most part she tried her best to ignore him. However, there were several times when she just couldn't help herself, and gave Yuki the harshest of her death glares. Unfortunately, her fellow classmates were oddly fascinated by him. By noon, the number one question on everyone's mind was is his hair naturally that color or did he dye it?  
  
She was on her way to lunch, when Kisa stopped her. " Kobayashi san has been staring at you all morning. Do you think he likes you?", she asked. Kagome gasped then shouted angrily, " No, I don't!" Kisa looked away then said softly, " I'm sorry Kagome chan. It's just that he's been looking in your direction since the very beginning of class." " Great! Now you made your best friend feel bad", she admonished herself. After quickly apologizing for her sudden outburst, Kisa was smiling again. They continued walking to lunch.  
  
Her homemade meal was delicious, and it was a shame that she had to rush to finish eating it. She'd made up her mind to find Yuki during the lunch period and find out exactly what he was up to. An extensive search of the school proved necessary, because he was on the roof.  
  
" Came looking for me, did you? I thought that you might", he said as she walked towards him. " What are you doing way up here?", she puffed. Climbing up all those stairs had worn her out. " Waiting for you, of course. There are some things we need to talk about.", he said smoothly. " You bet there are things we need to discuss. I, for one, would like to know why you're here at my school.", she yelled.  
  
" That one's easy", he said, " I told you that I'd be seeing you around. How else can I keep an eye on you? Since school is where you spend the better part of your day, it is only natural that I attend school also." He narrowed his eyes a bit then said, " At least it's where you're supposed to be. I believe a classmate of ours told me that you are frequently ill." " I've a rough year.", she said honestly. " It must be so hard for you, what with your rheumatoid arthritis and all", Yuki said sarcastically. In retaliation, Kagome gave him another one of her death glares.  
  
" That's another thing that I wanted to talk to you about.", he remarked. She looked at him in confusion. " You really must stop glaring at me like that during class. People might get the general impression that you don't like me very much.", he said looking rather smug. " I don't like you at all!", she cried indignantly.  
  
Yuki did nothing but smile at her. " Alright", she sighed, " but only if you stop staring at me. People might think you like me." He nodded in agreement, then vanished. " I hate when he does that!", she yelled out loud. It was then that Kagome realized that if she didn't run, she'd be late for class.  
  
Slipping into her seat only moments before class started didn't win her any points with the teacher. He was there as well, but fortunately for her, seemed to be holding up his end of the deal. Later on, during class, she felt someone poking her on the shoulder.  
  
It was Toki, another one of her good friends. " I guess you and the new boy are a couple now. We saw you sneaking off to talk to him during lunch", she whispered. Kagome blushed angrily and said, " I hate him." " Sure you do.", Toki said skeptically. " I can tell that it is gonna be a very long day", she thought miserably to herself.  
  
(A/N: Well, here's chapter 5. Sorry its not very good, but next chapter will be much better. You'll see!! I'll finally reveal exactly what kind of half demon Yuki is. Anyone feel like taking a guess?? Thanks to anyone who reviewed!!! They're such an ego booster. ^_^) 


	6. The Long Walk Home

And she was right. Not only did she have Yuki to deal with, but also math class had been particularly trying. It didn't matter how many times the teacher explained the lesson to her, she still didn't understand it. By the end of the day, she felt completely drained. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep. The first part her walk home was pretty peaceful.  
  
Thoughts of her quiet room and soft bed occupied her mind, which was why she ran right into Kobayashi Yuki. His voice brought her out of the daze she was in, " Hmm. what a coincidence, running into you like this. Must be fate." " Feh", was her only reply. If Inu Yasha could say it then so could she. Kagome took a big step to her right, so that he was no longer in her way, and kept walking.  
  
The green haired boy caught up with her seconds later. " I saw that you were having trouble in math today. Perhaps, I could help you. Math is, after all, one of my best subjects.", he said with a small smirk on his face. Kagome could feel her blood boiling. How dare he flaunt her imperfections? So what if she math was hard for her. She decided to give him a piece of her mind. After all, they weren't in school anymore and she didn't have to be nice.  
  
They were about halfway to her house when she turned to him and yelled, " What kind of a crazy person are you? One day you're threatening my family, and the next you're offering to help me with my schoolwork? What makes you think I'd even want your help, demon boy?!" Yuki stopped and said softly, " Half demon.. I'm only a half demon." That caught her slightly off guard, which caused some of her pent of anger to dissipate. " So, what? Any normal demon would have killed me and taken the jewel by now.", she said coldly.  
  
In a flash, he was in front of her, with a hand lightly gripping her throat. He searched her face with his serious eyes and said, " Is that what you want? Would you prefer it that way?" For the first time, she was truly frightened of him. Kagome shook her head slowly. He withdrew his hand and patted her on the head. " Don't look so scared, Kagome. I couldn't kill you. I still need you to help me find the rest of the Shikon shards, remember?", he said smiling.  
  
She took a deep breath, and tried to regain some control over the situation. They continued walking towards her house. Yuki was strolling along beside her as if nothing had happened, as if hadn't just tried to kill her. Cautiously, she asked him what kind of a half demon he was because she curious. " Guess.", he commanded. " Um. dog demon?", she answered only because the words half demon always made her think about Inu Yasha.  
  
He glared at her and said, " There's no need to be insulting." Kagome shrugged her shoulders indicating that she really didn't have a clue as to what sort of half demon he was. " I am", he paused dramatically, " half human and half snake demon." " Well, that explains the hair, and the long fangs", she thought to herself. Yuki seemed to be waiting for some kind of response, so she said, " A snake demon, huh?"  
  
She was about to ask him about his parents when she noticed that they were getting close to her house. Stopping, she said pointedly, " There's my house." Kagome hoped that he would take the hint and vanish like he always did. Yuki gave her an odd look and said sarcastically, " Is that so?."  
  
She was relieved to find that when she continued to walk towards her home, he didn't follow her. Taking a quick glance behind her, she was surprised to find that he was walking back the way they came. She yelled out, " Hey, why don't you disappear like you normally do." He stopped, but didn't turn around. " I thought you hated when I did that", he said, then kept on walking. Speechless, Kagome watched him leave. " That is one weird person", she thought as she entered her house.  
  
(A/N: Here's the sixth chapter. I hope everyone likes the story so far. Thanks to any reviewers!! In the next chapter, Kagome will find out exactly why Kobayashi wants the Shikon Jewel. Also, when Kagome's late coming back down the well, could a certain someone be getting a little worried?? ^_^) 


	7. Where's Kagome?

All right, here's another disclaimer. I don't own Inu Yasha. There I said it, plain and simple.  
  
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The following morning, Kagome had planned on going back down the well. She needed Inu Yasha's help now more than ever. Yuki posed a serious threat to her family, and she couldn't protect them by herself. Besides, she'd been home for her customary three days. Shippo and the others would be waiting for her to return.  
  
She stuffed her large backpack with all the things that she might possibly need while she was away from home. Kagome took the bottle holding the shards from its hiding place, and placed it in a special pocket on the inside of her backpack. With that done, she picked up her pack and went off in search of her mother. She wanted to say goodbye to her before she left.  
  
On her way to the kitchen, Kagome almost ran into her little brother. Sota was standing in the hallway staring sleepily out of the window. " What are you doing?", she asked curiously. " Looking", was his only answer. She smiled at him and asked, " Looking at what?" Her poor brother definitely wasn't a morning person. He turned his head away from the window to look at her. " There's somebody standing near the shrine. He's got weird hair."  
  
" So, he's back to torture me again, is he?", she thought to herself. Sota tugged on her hand and said, " Kagome, are you okay? You looked really mad for a minute." She told him that she was just fine. He pointed at her backpack and asked, " Are you leaving again?" Remembering that Yuki was still waiting outside for her, she said, " Not quite yet." Kagome ruffled his hair with one hand and then sent him trotting back to his room. " Hurry and get dressed so you're not late for school", she called after him as she walked down the hall.  
  
She was disappointed to find that her mom wasn't in the kitchen. " I should probably go and see he wants, before I go anyway.", she said to herself. Kagome put her bag down by the door and went outside.  
  
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Yuki was leaning up against the doors to the shrine. " You weren't thinking about sneaking away were you?", he asked. " How else am I supposed to get the rest of jewel shards for you?", she snapped. " It can wait till the weekend. A smart girl like you shouldn't miss so many days of school", he said coolly. Kagome could only stare at the half demon.  
  
" You didn't get yesterday's lesson in math. Can you imagine just how much harder it will be for you to catch up if you don't come to class?", he smirked. " I've got to go now!", she yelled at him in anger. " No, I think not.", was his firm reply. The scene was eerily familiar to her, except that Inu Yasha was normally the one who told her she couldn't leave.  
  
" If only I could sit him", she thought wistfully. She pleaded with him to let her go, but he was completely unshakeable. Then, in a moment's desperation, Kagome yelled, " SIT!" He looked at her with an expression of utter disbelief spread across his face. Yuki lost his usual composure and stuttered, " Y.You didn't just yell sit, did you?" She nodded and looked down at her shoes. " Why?", he asked mystified. " I don't know. It just seemed like the thing to do", she said lamely.  
  
" You are one strange girl, Kagome. But, I'm afraid that yelling strange commands at me will not make me change my mind. Unless you want to see your family hurt, there really isn't much that you can do. It would be best just to do as I say.", he informed her. Then he was gone leaving her alone in front of the shrine. " Inu Yasha's going to be really mad when I don't show up today. Maybe he'll come looking for me.", she thought hopefully as she walked back to the house.  
  
Her mother was in the kitchen making breakfast when Kagome returned from her trip to her shrine. " Are you going to go visit Inu Yasha today?", she asked cheerfully. " No, I think I'm going to be here for the entire week.", Kagome answered her. She sat down at the table and waited for breakfast to be served.  
  
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Inu Yasha growled softly as he walked back to the village. It had been nearly seven days since they'd last seen Kagome. " Stupid wench. She said she'd be back in three days", he thought angrily. He was on his way back from his tenth trip to the Bone Eater's Well. There was no sign of her and even her scent was beginning to fade.  
  
There hadn't been a single lead in days, so the four of them sat around Kaede sama's house feeling extremely bored. When he returned he found Miroku and Sango standing on the front steps. Shippo was sitting between them staring at the ground. " She's still not back?', Sango asked. " No", he said shortly. Miroku looked thoughtfully at Inu Yasha and said, " Maybe Kagome sama has gotten sick?" He turned his away from them and said, " Why should I care if she's sick? I only need her to find the jewel shards." His statement got him several harsh glares from Sango and Miroku.  
  
Suddenly, Shippo began to cry. " What if she died? What if she's dead and we don't even know?", he wailed. Sango picked up the small kitsune in an effort to stop him from crying. Inu Yasha bopped him on the head. " Shut up. Don't say things like that. Kagome isn't dead", he growled. Miroku watched him walk away, wondering where he was going.  
  
For the last time that day, Inu Yasha returned to the Bone Eater's Well. He sat down beside it and rested his head against the wooden boards. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed a little. This was where Kagome's scent was the strongest. He sniffed the air letting her gentle smell drift over him. " Why haven't you come back yet, Kagome?" he asked softly.  
  
(A/N: Okay!! It's the seventh chapter. I got finished writing it at two in the morning. I hope everyone likes it. It won't be long before Kagome finds out exactly why Yuki wants Shikon shards. Thanks to anyone who reviewed ^_^) 


	8. Finding Inu Yasha

The morning sun shone down on Inu Yasha disturbing his slumber. After a few minutes, he stood up and yawned. Slightly confused, he looked around to see where he was. Seeing the familiar shape of the well, he thought to himself, " I must have fallen asleep out here waiting for that girl." Inu Yasha looked down the well, but didn't see or hear anything. " I'm not gonna wait for her anymore. If she wants to stay at home then let her. I really don't care.", he yelled to no one in particular.  
  
Annoyed and hungry, he decided to return to the village. The scenery flew by, as he ran through the forest. " Inu Yasha! Wait. please wait!", cried a voice from somewhere behind him. Inu Yasha came to a complete standstill the minute he recognized the voice. " Kagome", he whispered as he turned around.  
  
He could see her running through the trees, with her enormous bag on her shoulders. " I'm coming Inu Yasha! Please wait for me!", she yelled desperately. "Am I dreaming?", he wondered, watching her hurrying to catch up with him. Kagome, then, tripped on a large tree root and fell to the ground. Inu Yasha decided that he wasn't dreaming, and quickly walked over to where she lay sprawled out on the grass.  
  
She looked up at him with an odd expression on her face. It made him feel uncomfortable, so he took a hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet. He expected her to either yell at him for not waiting, or to thank him for helping her up. In the back of his mind, he wanted Kagome to apologize for making him wait around and worry about her. So, what she actually said surprised him greatly.  
  
" I'm so sorry, Inu Yasha. Please don't be mad. You see, I tried to come back but everything was so complicated. I've had a terrible week. Math was horrible. Yuki was horrible.", she burst out. Inu Yasha just stared at her, not believing what he was hearing. Kagome continued to babble, " I would've been back much earlier, but my family was in trouble. I just couldn't leave them. There was thi." He held up his hand, cutting her off mid sentence.  
  
" Shut up", he said calmly. He peered at her closely before saying, " Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you Kagome?" Shocked at how nice he was being, she said softly, " I'm fine." " Then its okay", he replied. Inu Yasha took her backpack and swung it over one of his shoulders. He walked back to the village with Kagome at his side, in companionable silence.  
  
Kagome felt happier than she had been in almost a week, walking beside Inu Yasha. Now that she was finally here, he could help protect her family. At first, she was afraid he would be terribly angry, but that wasn't the case at all. He had been nothing but nice. If she didn't know any better, she might have that thought that he missed her while she was gone. " Don't be silly. Why would he miss me?", she admonished herself. Not wanting to ruin the peaceful atmosphere, she resolved to tell Inu Yasha about Yuki when they met up with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo.  
  
The first one to see them return was Shippo. " Kagome, you're back!!", he cried happily. He jumped into her arms giving her hug. Then he nestled down in the space between her body and the crook of one her elbows. He looked up at her and said in a small voice, " Why were you gone for so long? We thought you were dead."  
  
" I didn't mean to make you worry. I had a hard time getting back, for reasons I'll explain as soon as Miroku and Sango get here.", she said giving him a reassuring hug. " I'm glad to see you're back, Kagome sama.", said, Miroku who had just walked up behind her. She froze when she felt his hand on the back of her skirt. " P.p. pervert", she stuttered awkwardly.  
  
Unfortunately for Miroku, Inu Yasha had seen the whole thing. He moved so that he stood in front of the poor lecherous priest. Kagome backed away with Shippo still in her arms, because Inu Yasha was looking a little dangerous. " Damn it, Houshi. Keep your hands to yourself.", he snarled as he drew his sword ever so slightly out of its scabbard.  
  
Sango was Miroku's saving grace. She stepped out of Kaede sama's house and said, " Easy, Inu Yasha. You should know by now that his actions don't mean anything" She turned her head and glared at Miroku. " What's more important is that Kagome's back.", she said wisely. Sango smiled and waved at Kagome. The tension died and Inu Yasha removed his hand from his sword.  
  
" Have you guys gotten anymore good leads?", Kagome asked brightly. " Not since you left", answered Sango. " I'm sure we'll find some more shards really soon. Let's get started now, because I wont be able to stay for very long.", she said trying to make her voice sound normal. " And why is that?", Inu Yasha asked coldly. Kagome hesitated for a moment, then said, " Because I've got this real big problem back home named Kobayashi Yuki."  
  
(A/N: I've finally written chapter eight. It took me a couple of days, because I've been so busy. The next chapter is sure to be more exciting, because Inu Yasha and Yuki will be meeting each for the first time. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read and review ^_^) 


	9. Kagome's Kidnapped?

(A/N: The rating in this chapter is PG -PG 13. Just to be on the safe side, because there is some slight bad language. What else would you expect from Inu Yasha when he's mad. I don't think its that bad, but you have been officially warned. ^_^)  
  
Kagome had their undivided attention because they were all curious as to why she'd been away for so long. She sat down on the steps of Kaede- sama's house, with Shippo still in her arms. Inu Yasha, Miroku, and Sango sat around her waiting to hear the story. She sat quietly for a moment trying to collect her thoughts, when Inu Yasha interrupted impatiently, " Are you gonna tell us or what?"  
  
She glared at him before saying, " The trouble started last weekend when I went back home. Yuki was waiting for me when I came out of the well. He knew that I had the Shikon jewel and he wanted me to give it to him." Kagome took a quick glance at Inu Yasha then said, " I didn't give it to him. I was even ready to fight Yuki for the shards." The half demon said nothing and waited for her to continue her story.  
  
" He stole the shards from me, anyway. Yuki did something to the back of my neck, and knocked me unconscious.", she explained. At that point, Inu Yasha growled. " So, that bastard hurt her, did he?", he thought angrily. Kagome sighed and said, " It's okay. I got the shards back. He doesn't have them anymore."  
  
Before he could respond, she began to talk again, " However, he wants me to find the rest of the jewel shards for him. I had to agree because Yuki said he would hurt Mom, Sota, and Grandpa if I didn't." " WHAT? You're gonna help some human boy collect the shards.", yelled Inu Yasha.  
  
" Yuki's not a human, he's a half demon like you!", Kagome yelled back. The two of them were standing almost face to face glaring at each other. " What kind of a half demon is he?", asked Sango. " He's half snake demon and half human.", she answered. " I'm not really going to help him.", she told Inu Yasha. " I thought so.", he said smugly.  
  
Kagome grabbed a hold of the front of his red kimono (A/N: Is that what it's called?) and pleaded, " Inu Yasha you've got to come back with me. Help me with Yuki. Please?" " How could I refuse?", he thought to himself. Out loud he said, " Okay, let's go. It might be fun to fight another half demon." She sighed in relief. A small part of her had been worried that he wouldn't want to help her.  
  
Inu Yasha told Miroku and Sango to keep and ear out for leads while they were gone. " I should be back really soon.", he said with a smirk. Kagome patted Shippo on the head and promised that she would return in no time. Inu Yasha picked up her bag, and gestured for her to follow him. As they were leaving, Kagome turned around and yelled goodbye to the three traveling companions still sitting on the front steps.  
  
Once they were on the other side of the well, Kagome kept an eye out for Yuki. She never knew when he could appear in front of her. Inu Yasha saw her acting strange and asked, " What are you doing?" " I'm looking for him. He always seems to know where I am.", she replied. After much looking, she decided that he wasn't by the shrine or in her backyard. She kept walking towards her house with Inu Yasha following closely behind her.  
  
The house was completely empty, except for Buyo, her cat. Kagome left Inu Yasha in the kitchen, while she went to go put her pack in her room. She opened the door to find the green haired half demon sitting on her bed. " Back so soon? Did you miss me?", he said quietly.  
  
" AAAHH! What are you doing in my room?!?", screamed a very surprised Kagome. A moment later, he was standing in front of her. " Did you find any shards?", he asked curiously. That was when Inu Yasha entered her bedroom. Frowning slightly, he asked, " What are you screaming for?"  
  
The first thing he saw was some boy standing close, way to close, to Kagome. " Hey! Get away from her.", he snarled. Instead of backing away, the green haired boy placed a hand on one of her shoulders. " My dear Kagome, why didn't you tell me I had competition.", he said then turned to smile at him. " Um.Inu Yasha meet Yuki", she said nervously.  
  
" Leave Kagome alone", he said angrily. " And if I don't want to?", Yuki answered tauntingly. Inu Yasha held up his impressive claws and said seriously, " Then I'll make you." Yuki took his hand off her shoulder and moved in front of him as if preparing for battle, and said, " You'd better distance yourself from us, Kagome. I'd hate for you to get hurt."  
  
" Damn it! This guy is stealing my lines.", Inu Yasha thought somewhat annoyed. He was about to make his move when Kagome yelled, " Stop!" They both looked at her for some kind of explanation. " Couldn't we talk about this before you two destroy my room", she said reasonably. Yuki smiled at her and asked, " What would you like to say?"  
  
She walked closer to the silver haired hanyou, so that they were standing side by side. " I can't find the shards for you, Yuki, because I'm already helping Inu Yasha.", she said in a soft voice. " So what would you suggest that I do?", he asked. " You could leave.", Inu Yasha growled.  
  
" I'm afraid that's out of the question.", he responded coldly. In a flash, Yuki was standing next to Kagome with one arm slung across her shoulders. " You see, I happen to like this girl.", he said looking directly at Inu Yasha. His fingers curled into fists as he watched a slight blush cross Kagome's cheeks. " I don't think she likes you, so take your hands off of her.", Inu Yasha commanded, suddenly deadly serious.  
  
Yuki turned Kagome around in one swift motion so that she was forced to look directly into his eyes. " What do you say to that? Do you like me?", he whispered while intensely gazing into her eyes. It was almost as if he was hypnotizing her. Inu Yasha watched as her eyes went suddenly vacant. Kagome's eyes were open, but not seeing a single thing. Seconds later, she slumped into Yuki's arms.  
  
" What did you do to her?", he roared. " Nothing permanent.", Yuki answered. Inu Yasha felt like killing the other half demon, or maybe just ripping him apart piece by piece. He would have, if Kagome wasn't unconscious in his arms. " I think I'll be leaving now", Yuki said calmly. " Oh, and I'll be taking this cute girl with me.", he added. " KAGOME!", Inu Yasha yelled desperately. The other half demon vanished completely, leaving him all alone in her room.  
  
(A/N: I finally posted Ch.9. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!) 


	10. Reappearances and Forgotten Memories

" You can wake up now.", a voice whispered next to her ear. She sat up slowly blinking her eyes several times. " I am glad to see that you're finally awake. I was beginning to worry about you.", the voice whispered again. She turned her head slightly to her left, trying to see who was speaking to her. There was, sitting just inches away from her, a strange green haired boy. He seemed vaguely familiar. She closed her eyes in an effort to remember his name. A horrible wave of panic and fear descended upon her when she realized that not only could she not remember his name, she couldn't remember her name as well.  
  
" Who am I?", she wondered out loud. The boy laughed and said, " That must have been some bump on the head you got, Kagome, if you can't even remember your name." " Kagome? Is that my name?", she thought to herself. Suddenly unsure about everything, she launched herself into the arms of the boy beside her. " I don't remember anything. Not my name, not anything. I don't even know who you are, and I'm hanging all over you.", she cried softly. " I don't mind, Kagome. I don't mind it at all.", he murmured patting her back with one hand.  
  
Something about the way he was patting her back made her feel more relaxed. In fact, it was so comforting that she began to feel a little sleepy. " Who are you?", she asked curiously. The boy turned to look at her with captivating golden eyes and said, " Remember me, remember everything, Kagome. I am Kobayashi Yuki." Kagome gasped in recognition before she fell forwards into his lap, seemingly sound asleep. He laid a hand gently on her head, as he leaned over to whisper one last, vital message into her ear.  
  
For the second time that day, Kagome woke up from a dark, deep sort of sleep. She was lying on her bed, with her family standing around her. They all looked extremely worried about something. " What's wrong?", she asked concerned. Upon hearing her, Sota yelled out in shocked excitement, " You're awake! You're awake!" Then he leaped on the bed, tackling her in a giant bear hug.  
  
" It's nothing to get so excited about", she replied, trying unsuccessfully to push Sota off of her. " But you've been asleep for hours and hours.", he responded hugging her even harder. " It's true Kagome. We were quite worried about you.", her mother explained. " Sota, I know you're happy to see your sister, but I think you're making it a bit difficult for her to breath.", said her mother, who was trying very hard not to laugh.  
  
Her brother let go of her and hopped off the bed. Kagome was about to stand up, when she noticed that there was a thin piece of paper stuck to her foot. She pulled it off and held it up in the air. " What's this?", she asked waving the paper around. " That's an ancient family scroll. It's guaranteed to cure any injuries.", her grandpa informed her. " And it worked!!", he hooted as he left the room.  
  
" Kagome, would you like some dinner? I could make oden, if you like.", her mother asked kindly. " Yes, please.", she replied, instantly feeling happier. " Oden must be my favorite food", she thought to herself. Kagome and Sota followed their mother out of the door and down the hall to the kitchen.  
  
Inu Yasha was wandering aimlessly around the woods that surrounded the Bone Eater's Well. " She asked for my help, and I did nothing.", he thought angrily. Other thoughts raced through his mind as rage, guilt, and other such emotions plagued his conscience. " You just stood there, when that bastard took her away.", he berated himself over and over again.  
  
Feelings of guilt and perhaps fear flooded his mind, when he thought about what Yuki might have done to Kagome. It made him feel almost helpless, and he hated feeling that way. " I will find you, Kagome.", he yelled out as an awkward kind of battle cry.  
  
At that moment, a gentle breeze wafted past him playing with his hair as it went. Inu Yasha took in a deep breath, then coughed abruptly. Her scent was in the air and it was strong. " She's back.", he thought to himself, as he raced back to the well.  
  
Kagome leaned over the top of the well and stared down into its dark depths. She felt as though there was something she ought to be doing, and it involved the well. " I must be crazy.", she sighed for the millionth time. Sane people simply did not think about jumping down old wells.  
  
She jumped when she felt a hand touch her arm. Sota had managed to sneak up on her while she was lost in her thoughts. " What do you want?", she asked a little coldly. After all, he had scared her pretty bad. Ignoring her question, he asked, " What are you doing out here?" " Waiting for something.", she said absentmindedly.  
  
" Mom and I were wondering what happened to you today.", he stated, finally revealing his true reason for finding her. " I don't know. I can't remember anything that happened before I woke up this afternoon.", she lied. Kagome had some strange memories of a green haired boy named Yuki, but she didn't want to bother her family with them. " Come on, let's go back to the house. This well is creepy.", said Sota as he pulled her out of the shrine. " Alright.", she agreed and they began to walk towards the house.  
  
Then, without warning, she was enveloped in a red colored hug. Someone had their arms wrapped tightly around her, so that she was practically drowning in a wealth of red material. " Kagome", the person whispered with such feeling that she looked up in surprise.  
  
Her eyes were greeted by such an expression of relief and concern, that she felt a little embarrassed. The boy whose arms were holding her so closely had long silvery white hair, golden eyes, and dog like ears. " His ears are so cute. I want to touch one.", she thought ashamedly.  
  
Kagome wiggled one of her arms out of his grip, so that she could reach the top of his head. She rubbed the tip of his right ear with her fingers. Blushing a little a being so close to this complete stranger, she looked at him apologetically. " I'm sorry, but I seem to have forgotten who you are.", she said softly.  
  
(A/N: Whew! Ch.10 wasn't hard to write at all. I guess I was inspired. For all of you who have read and reviewed, Thanks!! I hope you're enjoying the story. ^_^) 


	11. Confrontations and Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha. I don't own anything, except for a pack gum. Suing me would be pointless.  
  
Inu Yasha took his arms from around her and stepped back so he could see her clearly. " This is no time to be playing games, stupid. Where's Yuki? Did he do anything to you?" , he said angrily.  
  
" I am not stupid.", she said slightly irritated. Kagome took one step closer to Inu Yasha, her eyes searching for some small shred of familiarity. " Nope, I've never seen you before. However, I think I know Yuki.", she informed him. " And he hasn't done anything to me.", Kagome added as an afterthought.  
  
" You've forgotten me, Kagome?", he asked in an odd voice. " I'm sure that if I thought about it for a while I could remember you.", she said guilty. She felt bad that she had no knowledge of this boy, who so obviously knew her. Kagome heard him growl softly, which made her remember that Sota was still outside with her.  
  
" Sota, go inside. I'll be right there.", she hollered at him. This strange person might be dangerous and she didn't want her brother to get hurt. " But.but, Kagome, I want to talk to Inu Yasha too.", he said quickly. " I don't care. Get inside the house.", she said threateningly. Sota sighed and slowly walked back to the house. His sister could be a little scary when she got angry.  
  
Kagome watched him walk away, then turned her attention to the dog-eared boy in front of her. She wondered how Sota knew the boy's name, so she asked, " Are you a friend of his?" " Damn it, Kagome. Stop asking stupid questions.", Inu Yasha snarled at her. " I'm sorry if I didn't know your name, but that's no reason to get so angry.", Kagome yelled.  
  
He rushed forward and put his hands on her shoulders in a vise-like grip. " Hey! That hurts. Let go of me!", she yelled frantically. The situation was rapidly getting out of control. The boy told her to be quiet, but he did loosen his hold on her shoulders a bit. His eyes examined her face as if he was looking for something. After a minute or two, he released her shoulders, only to grab onto her wrist. " What are you doing?", she asked trying to remain calm. " You're coming with me. Just you wait. I'll make you remember me [1].", was his strange reply.  
  
Kagome squirmed wildly, trying her best to get away from him, but nothing worked. Inu Yasha was just too strong. She began to yell for help, praying that maybe Mom or Sota would be able to hear her. " Would you stop screaming. I'm not going to hurt you.", he said, sounding a little sad. Kagome stopped resisting, but only because she was getting tired.  
  
" This guy is so confusing. First he hugs me, then he insults me, and now he acts as though he's sad. I don't understand him at all.", she puzzled to herself. Inu Yasha was pulling her towards the family shrine. " Where are we going?", she asked softly. He was about to answer her when a familiar person appeared in front of the shrine. " Yuki!", she cried, relieved that someone was finally here to help her.  
  
Inu Yasha could barely contain his anger when he heard Kagome shout out the other half demon's name. It was as if he, Inu Yasha, was now the enemy. " Kagome used to call out my name like that when she was in trouble.", he thought sadly. In one swift movement, he shoved Kagome behind him so that he stood protectively in front of her. It would be hard to fight, with his one hand still holding on to her wrist, but he was not going to let her get taken from him again.  
  
" Where did you think you were going?", Yuki asked him coldly. " None of you damned business.", he yelled angrily. " Oh, but it is my business, because it looks as though she doesn't want to go with you.", Yuki replied. Sure enough, he could feel Kagome struggling behind him. " What is she doing? Does she actually want to be with him?", he thought worriedly.  
  
The word SIT was yelled, and he fell face down into the dirt. " If she's forgotten about me, then how could she have remembered about the prayer beads.", he wondered. Inu Yasha watched as Kagome walked towards Yuki. She stopped, however, when she stood almost exactly between the two half demons. He noted that she looked rather bewildered.  
  
" Kagome, go back to the house, where you'll be safe", said Yuki, who was smiling at her. Then he turned towards Inu Yasha and said, " As soon as I take care of this little problem, I'll come and explain everything to you." Kagome turned towards the house, but hesitated as if she wasn't exactly sure she was doing the right thing. " That's it girl. Don't listen to him.", Inu Yasha thought silently to himself. To his disappointment, she cast a worried glance at both of them then continued walking.  
  
Once she was in the house, Inu Yasha roared, " What did you do to her?" " Temper, temper.", Yuki said infuriatingly. " Isn't it obvious? I made her forget you.", he further explained. " Why?", he growled. " Must I spell out everything?", Yuki sighed. " For whatever reason, Kagome feels like she has some sort of obligation to help you find the jewel shards. As long as you're around, she would never devote all of her time and energy to helping me locate them. The easiest way to solve the problem was simply for her to forget that you even exist.", he said slowly.  
  
Inu Yasha growled, flexing his hand and preparing for battle. " But don't worry. The effects are only temporary. I'm sure Kagome will remember you after she's already given me the very last jewel shard.", Yuki said laughing. Thoroughly fed up, he rushed towards Yuki intending to kill him.  
  
The green haired half demon disappeared, then reappeared directly behind him. Inu Yasha spun around as Yuki said, " I can't let you kill me yet. I still have to convince Kagome to find the shards for me." He vanished again leaving Inu Yasha feeling angrier than he'd ever been in his whole life. " Coward!", he yelled at the space where Yuki had stood only seconds before. Then he raced towards the house, determined to get to her before Yuki did.  
  
[1] " Just you wait. I'll make you remember me." This line was taken from Ranma ½, volume 3. Ranma says it to Akane, when she forgets who he is. ^_^ I don't own Ranma ½ either. (small disclaimer)  
  
(A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. I had a busy weekend. Thanks to all the people who read and reviewed!) 


	12. Yuki's Explanation

Disclaimer: I said it before, but I'll say it again.. I don't own Inu Yasha.  
  
I'm thinking about starting another story, this time it'll mainly focus on Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken. Whenever I have more free time, I'll start writing it. Well, anyway, on to the story.  
  
****  
  
Kagome walked back to the house feeling confused, guilty, and in all other ways rather uncomfortable. The strange boy named Inu Yasha had really scared her, but that wasn't what was making her feel so odd. " It's only natural to feel a bit unnerved after a complete stranger hugs you, and then attempts to kidnap you.", she thought to herself.  
  
What she didn't understand was the fact that, for one instant, she'd felt a sense of overwhelming concern for him. For that one fleeting moment, all she had wanted to do was be by Inu Yasha's side. Then as quickly as the feeling had come, it left, leaving her in a state of extreme bewilderment.  
  
On top of that, there were some other things that didn't make sense. " I yelled sit at the top of my lungs. That just isn't something I would normally do.", Kagome thought nervously. However, the word seemed to have some sort of effect on Inu Yasha. " Either that or he's really clumsy.", she laughed to herself.  
  
When she opened the back door, she found Sota waiting for her in the kitchen. " Where's Inu Yasha?", he asked curiously. " Outside.", Kagome answered absent-mindedly as she continued walking down the hall. Once inside her room, she flopped down on her bed. The whole situation with Inu Yasha and Yuki had been kind of stressful and all she wanted to do was relax. She closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet.  
  
Upon hearing something moving around near her bed, Kagome opened her eyes expecting to see Buyo, her cat. " Want do you want, Yuki?", she asked somewhat coldly. " I knew you weren't sleeping.", he replied sounding pleased. " It's not because I wasn't trying.", she retorted.  
  
" Don't be angry, for I have come bearing gifts.", Yuki said and then smiled at her. The word gifts had definitely caught her attention. " Gifts?", she questioned. Kagome sat up, as he placed a small bottle in her hands. She held the bottle up to the light so that she could get a better look at its contents. Inside were shiny fragments from some sort of stone or gem. " What's this?", Kagome asked peering up at him.  
  
" Those are shards from the infamous Shikon no Tama.", he explained. She was about to ask him what exactly was a Shikon no Tama, when Yuki suddenly froze. " Damn, he's persistent.", he said angrily before reaching out and grabbing hold of her wrist.  
  
What happened next was so unbelievable that she could hardly find the words to explain it. There was a whoosh of air, a quick flash of light, and then she was no longer in her bedroom. Kagome was standing in the middle of what appeared to be someone's living room.  
  
" W...w...what did you do?", she stuttered. " I suppose that now would be a good time to tell you that I'm a half demon.", he answered calmly. " A half demon? Don't be dumb. Those things don't exist.", she said angrily. Yuki flashed her a large grin, solely for the purpose of showing off his long fangs. Then, just in case the fangs didn't convince her, he vanished and reappeared in front of her seconds later.  
  
" Okay, so maybe there are half demons.", Kagome said coolly, " But what does that have to do with me." " Good question, good question.", Yuki replied tauntingly. He waved a hand at her indicating that she should sit down on one of the couches. She did so, and he followed suit.  
  
Yuki told her all about the Shikon jewel, how it was currently in pieces, and that it had the power to grant a wish to its holder. " You still haven't explained why you've whisked me away to this strange place.", she said once he finished talking. " You're here, because I need you to help me find the rest of the shards.", he answered pleasantly.  
  
" Why me?", Kagome asked. " Because, my dear girl, you have the unique ability to see the Shikon shards.", he retorted. Having Yuki refer to her as "my dear girl", made her feel a little odd. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not. " What makes you think I'll help you?", she inquired. The green haired boy sighed, and said a bit sadly, " I was hoping that once you heard my reasons for obtaining the jewel that you would readily consent to helping me."  
  
Yuki's suggestion sounded reasonable to her, at least he wasn't going to immediately force her into helping him. " Okay then, let's hear your story.", she said softly.  
  
" As you already know, I'm a half demon.", he explained. Kagome nodded her head. He glanced at her then continued talking, " Well, the truth is I'm half human half snake demon. My mother was a full-blooded snake demon. My green hair, fangs, and magic vanishing act are all traits that I inherited from her." He stopped talking, seemingly lost in some by gone memory.  
  
Kagome touched his shoulder, reminding him that she was still waiting to hear the rest of his story. Yuki shook his head, and said abruptly, " I hate my mother." She blinked in surprise at his startling response. " Why?", she whispered.  
  
" My mother stayed around long enough to mate and then have me. Then she left the both us without a word. She didn't even care enough to say goodbye.", he said with anger very evident in his voice. Kagome didn't know what to say, so she remained silent. After a few minutes, he began again, " My dad was left with this strange half human half demon baby. But he didn't leave. He actually loved me. Even though I reminded him of my mother, he took still took me in."  
  
Yuki's voice had lost its usual sarcastic quality, making him sound almost vulnerable. It made Kagome feel very uncomfortable, so she patted him on the shoulder in a lame attempt to cheer him up. Yuki smiled at her and said, " That's why I need the jewel. I don't want to have anything in common with my mother. I want to become completely human, just like my father. So will you help me?"  
  
" Will you let me think about it?", she asked quietly. Yuki frowned at her, but said, " Alright, but please make up your mind quickly because there are other people looking for the jewel shards." Kagome promised she would, then asked, " Would it be at all possible for me to return home from wherever we are now?"  
  
" Yes, of course. I forgot to tell you that this is the apartment that my father and I share. If I remember correctly, your house is not too far away from here.", he said smugly. " Oh", said Kagome who was feeling just a tad bit embarrassed.  
  
" I'd like to leave now. I promise that I'll have the answer to your question by tomorrow.", she said quickly. Yuki smiled and nodded. He grabbed her hands and pulled her off of the couch. While still holding on to her hands, he whispered, " Kagome, please know that you can come visit me anytime you want."  
  
****  
  
Inu Yasha had reached her room just a fraction of a second to late. He could smell that she'd been there very recently as well as that accursed half demon. Inu Yasha drew in a deep breath and sighed. He'd forgotten just how good her room smelled. " She's got to come back here eventually. It's just a matter of time until she returns.", he thought to himself. He sat down on her bed and declared, " I'm going to wait here until you come back Kagome."  
  
****  
  
Before she could even blink, Yuki had left her in the safety of her own room. However, she wasn't entirely alone. The strange boy that she'd met earlier was dead asleep on her bed. Kagome opened her mouth to scream for help, but didn't. Instead, she watched Inu Yasha sleep. " Somehow, I just can't convince myself that he's a bad guy. I think I'll let him sleep.", she thought to herself. Kagome left the room quietly, with one backward glance at the boy lying on her bed.  
  
(A/N: Thanks to any and all reviewers!! Sorry it took me so long to update. I had so many tests in so many classes. This is the first time in about a week that I've had anytime to sit down and write anything.)  
  
Thanks to Beth-sama for reviewing my story!! I can't believe she likes it!! 


	13. Inu Yasha Comes Up With A Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha.  
  
****  
  
Inu Yasha woke up with a start. " She's here.", he thought eagerly. He was on his feet in seconds, determined to catch her before she disappeared again. The closer he got to the kitchen, the stronger Kagome's scent became. All he could think about was finding her before Yuki took her away, which is why he burst into the room shouting, " Don't you even think about leaving me!"  
  
Kagome and her mother both turned to look up at him with expressions of surprised bewilderment locked on their faces. " We aren't going anywhere.", Kagome's mother answered calmly. Inu Yasha made a sort of scowling face at them to cover up his embarrassment. He really hadn't meant to say something like that, at least not out loud.  
  
" We have to talk.", he said firmly staring at Kagome. She nodded and rose out of her chair. " I'll be back in a little while, Mom.", she said softly. The older woman smiled at her daughter then stood up from the kitchen table. Kagome waited for her mother to leave, before walking to the back door.  
  
Inu Yasha followed her feeling somewhat puzzled. He hadn't expected her to be so calm about things. She'd been so scared of him last time, that it was hard to believe that she would allow herself to be alone with him. " Kagome, about last time. I didn't know you'd forgotten me.", he said as they walked outside.  
  
****  
  
" I think he's trying to apologize.", Kagome thought feeling a strange mixture of odd emotions. She knew next to nothing about him, but something about what he'd just said made her feel ridiculously happy. " Enough is enough. I'm going to solve this mystery.", she thought decidedly.  
  
She whirled around, planted a finger firmly on his chest, and said, " Who are you? What do you want with me? Tell me right now." His eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he hesitated a moment before answering, " I'm Inu Yasha."  
  
" I know that. Sota told me that much already.", she said trying to keep her cool. " I am Inu Yasha and I want you to remember me.", he stated simply. Once again, she was overwhelmed by feelings of relief and happiness. " AAHH! Why do you always make me feel so weird!", she yelled in frustration.  
  
****  
  
" I make her feel weird.", Inu Yasha thought to himself. He was trying to figure out what exactly she meant by that. Perhaps, Kagome remembered something about him after all. " I know I've made her mad, and sometimes nervous, but weird?", he pondered. He wasn't sure if weird was a good thing.  
  
" I can't tell you anything, if you're screaming.", Inu Yasha said roughly. She stopped immediately and glared at him. " Well? What is it that you have to say?", Kagome asked crossly. " It'd be easier to show you.", he said cautiously. " Show me?", she asked sounding a bit unsure. He grabbed Kagome, mistaking her question for a command, and took off for the well.  
  
****  
  
" I'm flying!", Kagome thought in astonishment. She looked down and found herself sitting on Inu Yasha's back. It had all happened so quickly, before she'd even had a chance to protest. One minute she her feet were touching the ground, and the next, the scenery was going by at an alarming rate. They arrived at her family shrine in two minutes flat.  
  
Inu Yasha threw open the door to shrine and went down to the well. " What are we doing here?", she asked him. The stubborn boy didn't answer, only positioned himself on top of the well. Kagome found herself seriously questioning his sanity. What could he possibly show her that she hadn't already seen? Then Inu Yasha jumped, causing her to scream, " Are you crazy?"  
  
Instead of landing at the dusty bottom of the old well, she found herself surrounded by bones. Kagome, who was still on Inu Yasha's back, bopped him on the head and yelled, " Why'd you do such an incredibly pointless thing for? And when did all these bones get down here?" " You'll see.", was his only response.  
  
Once they were out of the well, Inu Yasha dumped Kagome on the ground. Her house was gone and so was the shrine. They were surrounded by trees. She whacked him on the arm. " What the hell you'd do that for?", he growled. " That's for making my house disappear.", she said angrily.  
  
" Where did everything go?", she thought worriedly. After looking around, she couldn't see anything familiar except for the well. " What did you do?", she asked suspiciously. " We're going to find the others, then I'll tell you everything.", was his enigmatic reply.  
  
He kneeled down in front of her. " Does he want me to get on his back?", she wondered. The dog-eared boy said rudely, " Hurry up! I don't have all day." Kagome climbed on and put her hands on his shoulders. Inu Yasha took off running in a northerly direction. So many strange things were happening to her, but she felt as though she could trust him. ****  
  
" It feels nice to have her here with me.", Inu Yasha thought as he raced along. That notion had popped into his head unexpectedly, and was now at the center of all his thoughts. " I've got to protect her from that other stupid half-demon. How the hell am I going to that?", he asked himself.  
  
An idea suddenly came to him, causing him to grin slightly. Inu Yasha was pretty certain that Yuki couldn't go through the well. If that was the case, then Kagome would be safe for as long as she stayed on his side of the well. " I guess she'll just have to stay here with me.", he thought mischievously. The more he thought about it, the more he liked his plan. The grin on his face grew even larger. One might even think he was smiling.  
  
****  
  
(A/N: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I had some more tests, and a mild case of writer's block. Well, in spite of all that, I have written the 13th chapter! I hope you all like it. ^_^)  
  
Beth-sama: Wow!! You reviewed again. Thanks! I feel so honored.  
  
Rinoa: You've left a review for like every chapter of my story. Thanks!! ^_^  
  
And finally to Tara-chan: If it were not for her extensive cd collection, this story would not have been written mostly due to lack of inspiration!!! 


	14. Questions and Answers

When they arrived at Kaede-sama's village, Kagome began to feel a strange sense of déjà vu. " I know I've been here before, many times before.", she thought to herself. They stood in front of an old style house. " I feel like I've stepped inside of a history book.", she whispered confusedly. Beside her, Inu Yasha yelled out, " Hey! We're back!"  
  
A little fox child came bounding out of the door. " Kagome!", he yelled as he ran towards her. As if by habit, she opened her arms so that he could jump into them. Kagome stared down at the kitsune who was making himself at home in the crook of her arm. She was certain that she'd never seen him before, but it felt as though she'd known him for quite a while. " Shippo?", she hazarded.  
  
" Where have you been?", he demanded in a determined voice. Kagome didn't know how to answer his question. She wasn't sure if she knew him or not, but Shippo definitely knew her. " I'm sorry.", she said lamely. The kitsune smiled up at her and said, " It's alright, but please stay here for a while."  
  
" Kagome won't be leaving for a long time. At least not if I have anything to do with it.", said Inu Yasha who was standing behind her. She was so surprised that she nearly dropped Shippo. " You're going to keep me captive here in this place?", she yelled angrily as she whirled around to face the half-demon.  
  
" Yes.", he answered firmly. Inu Yasha stood in front of her looking so serious and resolute that she couldn't immediately think of something to say in return. A moment went by before she asked, " Why?"  
  
The dog-eared boy growled and said, " That damned half-demon Yuki is after you, and this is the only place where you'll be safe." Kagome blinked in amazement then said, " He is not after me. He just needed my help with something." Inu Yasha gave her a dark look and muttered something under his breath. " Now that we have cleared this whole thing up, will you please take me home?", she asked hotly.  
  
He clenched his fists and was about to answer, but two people walking towards them interrupted him. A boy and a girl who looked to be somewhere around her own age walked right up to Inu Yasha and stood beside him. Kagome stared at them in surprise.  
  
They gave her the same sort of feeling that Shippo had. She knew them, in spite of the fact that she'd never seen them before. Two words casually drifted to the front of all her thoughts. " Miroku, Sango?", she cautioned.  
  
They both welcomed her in return with titles of familiarity. Sango had addressed her as Kagome-chan. This confused her, but it was good to know that in this strange land she had a friend.  
  
" Are you going to being staying here for a while?", asked Miroku. Kagome glared at Inu Yasha before nodding her head. " Great!", yelled Shippo as he hopped out of her arms. " We should probably start looking for the shards now that you're back.", Miroku said in a most serious voice.  
  
Kagome sighed in frustration, then muttered, " Why is it that everyone is only interested in these shards? You want me to find them. Yuki wants me to find them. I'm just tired of the whole thing."  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Shortly after Kagome's somewhat bitter remark, Sango and Miroku left to gather some supplies for their upcoming journey. Once they were out of sight, Inu Yasha turned to Kagome and said, " There's something I need to ask you about." Both Kagome and Shippo stared at him expectantly. " Go away.", he said irritably to Shippo.  
  
The kitsune left, but only after many threatening gestures on his part. " What's wrong?", Kagome asked looking worried. " You know that Kobayashi is after the jewel shards too, right?", he asked slowly.  
  
" Of course I know that Yuki's after the shards, he asked me to help him find them.", she answered, relief evident in her voice. He paused for a second, because he wasn't sure if he'd heard her right. " He asked you to help him?", Inu Yasha asked incredulously. " Yes.", was Kagome's simple reply.  
  
He was now feeling slightly confused, because he was no longer sure of what Yuki was planning to do with Kagome. The other half-demon had made it sound like he was somehow going to trick her into helping him. " Are you going to help Yuki?", Inu Yasha asked cautiously. " I don't know", she said flatly.  
  
" WHAT!", he yelled in surprise. He was so sure that her answer was going to be no, maybe even hell no. It never even occurred to him that she would actually consider his proposition. " B.but you're helping us.", Inu Yasha spluttered angrily. " That's something that I've been meaning to talking to you about.", Kagome replied calmly.  
  
A strange sinking feeling overcame him, after her last remark. Did she no longer want to help him? That particular thought was so unpleasant that he banished it immediately. " Talk to me about what?", Inu Yasha asked, even though he was pretty sure he didn't want to hear the answer.  
  
" What exactly are you going to do with the Shikon jewel after you've collected all the shards?", she asked. He let out a deep breath in relief. This was old territory, something that he knew the answer to. " The jewel is going to help me become a complete demon.", he said confidently.  
  
That's when he noticed that Kagome's neutral expression and calm demeanor were gone. She was staring at him with such a sad, disappointed look on her face. " Oh.", she said dispiritedly. It suddenly occurred to Inu Yasha that he'd just been judged and found wanting. The answer to her question was not the one she was looking for.  
  
(A/N: I know that I haven't updated in a long time. I'm really sorry, but there were so many things going on, that I just didn't have the time to write. However, things should be easing up now that Christmas vacation is on the way. I will try hard to update much more frequently. Thanks to anyone and everyone who reads and reviews. ^_^) 


	15. The Choices She Made

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha, so be nice and don't sue.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"Something is wrong.", Inu Yasha thought to himself for the millionth time. The five of them were on their way out of the village in search of new leads as to the shards' whereabouts. There was none of the cheerful banter that usually occurred when they traveled together. Everyone seemed to be too lost in their own thoughts to engage in a conversation.  
  
The thing that bothered him the most was the fact that Kagome seemed to be avoiding him. It'd been hours since she'd last said something to him. Inu Yasha turned his head so that he could see her clearly. Her head was down, so he couldn't see her face. He got the strange feeling that she was sad.  
  
"What reason does Kagome have to be sad?", he wondered. Sure, he had essentially kidnapped her, but that kind of thing usually made her angry. At first, he'd thought that perhaps she was afraid. That was understandable, because she was suddenly far from home surrounded by people that she really didn't know. However, Kagome wasn't any of those, for some reason she was undeniably sad about something.  
  
The day wore into evening without a single word from anyone. At the beginning of the trip, it'd been nice, but now it was down right annoying. Kagome had tried to return to her normal self, but her expressions of false cheerfulness were even harder for him to take. Inu Yasha decided he'd had enough and yelled out, "We're stopping here for the night."  
  
Kagome jumped at the sound of his voice, and flashed him a guilty sort of look. Miroku and Sango went about setting up a makeshift camp. He watched as Kagome sat down on a nearby rock with her back facing him and the rest of the group. Now that things were relatively quiet he was going to find out what was causing her to act so weird.  
  
Right as he was about to walk over to her, Shippo hopped on his shoulder. "Did you say something to Kagome? Something that made her sad?", he asked softly. Inu Yasha growled and replied, " I haven't done anything. He was about to bop the little kitsune on the head, when he noticed something that Kagome was moving towards them.  
  
She had a distracted, nervous look on her face that worried him. Miroku and Sango stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. She stopped walking and stood only a few feet away from them. Kagome opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but quickly shut it again. Inu Yasha watched as she took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry but I can't keep doing this."  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Kagome turned her head so that she couldn't see his face when she told them that she wasn't going to help them find the shards. "I'm going to help Yuki find the rest of the shards.", she finished lamely. If her statement had affected Miroku in any way, he wasn't letting it show. Sango and Shippo, on the other hand were looking at her with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces. She forced herself not to look at Inu Yasha. "You've betrayed him", screamed a voice in her head. "How can I betray someone I hardly even know?", she thought angrily. These kinds of thoughts had been plaguing her all day. That was why she'd finally told everyone her decision. It was best to get things out into the open. Even though she was almost completely sure that she was doing the right thing, nothing in the world could have made her turn to look at Inu Yasha right then.  
  
"You see, Yuki wants the Shikon jewel so.", but Kagome was cutoff before she could finish explaining. "Leave.", was Inu Yasha's only response. She winced at the coldness in his voice. It made her want to cry. "Let me at least explain.", she tried once again but to no avail. He wasn't going to listen.  
  
"The well is that way.", he said firmly. Slowly, Kagome turned her head to see him pointing in an easterly direction. Then she got a good look at his face. His eyes clearly showed his pain and other emotions she couldn't name. It was also evident that he was very angry.  
  
There was nothing more she could do. She took one last look at her oddly familiar companions, before turning towards the direction Inu Yasha was pointing in. "I'm sorry.", she whispered softly as she walked away.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
(A/N: Well here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it was so terribly short. The next chapter will definitely be longer. I promise. I know it's been a while since my last update, but with Christmas and all I didn't have to time write anything. I'll try to get another chapter out real soon. Thanks to anyone who reads and reviews.) 


	16. Shippo's Plan & Kagome's Dilemma

Disclaimer: Once again, Inu Yasha does not belong to me. ***********************************************************************  
  
" I'm gonna be left behind. Everyone's leaving and they're gonna forget about me. I can see it in their eyes.", Shippo thought frantically. The group was slowly drifting apart. Inu Yasha was in a dangerous mood and no one felt like talking to him. Sango sat by the empty fire pit glaring at the white haired hanyou. Occasionally, she would turn her head and look at Miroku. If the houshi noticed all the looks Sango was giving him, he didn't let it show.  
  
The silence was getting to Shippo. They were all sitting around as if nothing had happened, as if Kagome hadn't just deserted them. He didn't understand what was going on. Why did she suddenly decide to help the other half demon? How could she do something like that?  
  
" Inu Yasha must have done something.", he thought angrily. The stupid half demon was always pushing her away and making her feel sad. Now, Kagome was gone and it was probably all his fault. " What did you do?", he shouted, breaking the silence.  
  
At first, Inu Yasha didn't say anything. He didn't even move. Then he slowly turned around to face the little kitsune. " What did you say?", Inu Yasha growled. " What did you do to Kagome? You're always doing something to hurt her! So what was it this time?", Shippo yelled.  
  
Provoking Inu Yasha probably wasn't the wisest thing he could've done, but at that point he didn't care. Shippo watched as the hanyou's claws balled into fists. " Kagome wouldn't leave us for no reason at all. I want to know what you did to her.", he shouted once again.  
  
" I did nothing. She left of her own free will.", the half demon answered in a strained voice. " That's not true. You made her leave.", Shippo returned. " Didn't you hear what she said? She was going to leave anyway.", Inu Yasha continued. " She might have stayed if hadn't told her to go.", the fox demon wailed.  
  
" Shut up. Kagome's gone and that's all there is to it.", he growled. Shippo was so mad that he couldn't force a single word to come out. However, it was obvious that Sango had plenty to say.  
  
" What do you mean that's all there is to it?", she said in a strangely calm voice. Sango had moved from her spot by the fire pit and was walking towards Inu Yasha. She got no reply, but that didn't stop her from saying, " She was trying to explain something to you. But you. you wouldn't let her talk."  
  
Inu Yasha clenched his fists, causing Miroku to get his feet. The houshi positioned himself beside Sango then said, " It's true. Kagome-sama did seem like she wanted to tell you something."  
  
" There was nothing keeping her here.", the hanyou's voice sounded strained again as if he was trying to hold back some secret emotion. Shippo finally found his voice and yelled, " You liar! You're a big liar. Kagome wouldn't leave me behind."  
  
Finally, whatever was keeping Inu Yasha's inner feelings under control broke under the all the stress. " Kagome doesn't know who we are. She can't remember us. Not Sango, not Miroku, not me, and not YOU!", he roared. " W.what do you mean?", Shippo stuttered.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
" I'm all alone. I'm all alone and I'm lost.", Kagome thought miserably. She'd been walking for hours and had yet to find the well. Night was falling, and she didn't have a single thing to make camp with. On top of that, the feeling that she'd done a bad, bad thing was nothing if persistent. In fact, the farther away she got from Inu Yasha and the others, the worse it got.  
  
It was enough to make even the strongest person feel like shedding tears. Kagome would not let herself give in to the despair that clouded her mind. " All I've got to do is find the well, then I'm home free.", she spoke out loud.  
  
Kagome trudged on in silence, until she heard something moving behind her. She spun around to see what was making the noise. Unfortunately, the dark woods revealed nothing. She continued walking, only this time her steps were much quicker. The rustling sounds increased as well. Fear grew in the pit of her stomach, when she realized that she was being followed.  
  
" Just remain calm.", she told herself. The rustling noises were growing louder, and her resolve not to panic was quickly fading. Suddenly, she heard a sharp cracking sound right behind her. A rush of adrenaline, fueled by fear, soared through her body and Kagome began to run.  
  
Various plant parts scratched her legs as she ran through the woods. She'd tripped once, no twice only to get up and keep running. Her poor knees were cut and bleeding. It was getting harder to breath and the muscles in her legs were cramping. " I'm can't keep this up.", she puffed.  
  
As she was running, she glanced behind her to see what was chasing her. This caused her not to see the giant tree root that crossed her path. Kagome's foot caught underneath the root, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap. She couldn't run any farther; she couldn't even get up.  
  
" Whatever's out there had better stay away from me!", she screamed. It was the scream of someone who'd had about all they could take. The rustling noises only continued to get louder. At that point, Kagome began to cry.  
  
From behind her, a hand reached out and placed itself on her shoulder. " Don't cry.", a voice whispered to her. Kagome looked up in astonishment then passed out.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Inu Yasha was the first one to go. He'd informed the rest of them about Kagome's situation, then left. Shippo was in shock, but feeling somewhat positive. He was sure that if he could only talk to her for a little bit, she'd remember him. Then things would return to normal.  
  
Sango was just as determined to talk to Kagome, and she set out to find her. The youkai exterminator really didn't care if anyone followed her, but Shippo wasn't surprised to find that Miroku was going with her. The two of them were talking quietly together not too far away from him. The kitsune crept closer so that he could hear what they were saying.  
  
" We've got to find Kagome before she gets hurt. She doesn't have her bow and arrow to protect her.", Sango whispered heatedly. Shippo wondered why they were whispering. " I agree.", was Miroku short answer. She sighed unhappily and stared out at the woods in front of her. The fox demon watched as the houshi's hand reached dangerously towards the girl's backside.  
  
Seconds later a slap echoed through the clearing. Miroku was sitting on the ground rubbing his face. " How could you do something like that at a time like this?", she yelled angrily. " I was just trying to cheer myself up.", he replied cautiously. Sango blushed slightly, then turned and started walking in the direction that Kagome had left in.  
  
Miroku followed her, and so did Shippo. He didn't want to be left all by himself. " I'm gonna find Kagome and then everything's going to be alright.", he whispered confidently.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!! This chapter is longer, just like I promised. I guess this part of the story is a little depressing, but it won't stay that way for long. Thanks to anyone who reads and reviews.  
  
School is starting up again on Monday, but I will try to update regularly.  
  
Like - Anyother: I did seem to leave poor old grandpa out of the story a bit. Oops. Just pretend he went on a vacation.  
  
Sonya: Thanks for reading over my story!!  
  
Beth: Thanks for giving me my future. Where would I be without it?? 


	17. Kagome's Savior?

" Kagome, please wake up. This really isn't a good time for you to be sleeping.", whispered a soft voice. She cautiously opened her eyes to see who was speaking her. Concerned gold eyes stared down at her, and strong hands helped her to sit up. " Yuki", she sighed, " What are you doing?"  
  
They were still in the woods, although she'd been moved to a small clearing. A bright fire crackled not to far away from where she was sitting. " Actually, I was doing my very best to find you.", Yuki replied after a long pause. He removed his hands from her shoulders and walked towards a large bag lying by the fire. " That's my bag.", Kagome exclaimed.  
  
" Right you are.", he answered before he began rummaging through it. " Hey! Leave my bag alone", she yelled. " I would gladly leave it alone, but it seems to me that you are in need of some bandages.", said Yuki, who was looking rather smug. Minutes later, he pulled a first aid kit from out of her backpack.  
  
Yuki placed the kit gently in her lap, then sat down by the fire. She opened it up, and applied liberal amounts of antibiotic cream and band-aids to her badly scraped legs. " So why were you looking for me?", she asked casually. " Would you believe me if I said that I was deeply concerned about your well being?", he inquired in a mocking tone of voice.  
  
Kagome shook her head emphatically then chose to glare at him. " No? Well, in that case, I'd better tell the truth. I was looking for you, Kagome, because you have yet to answer my question.", Yuki explained.  
  
She closed her eyes wishing that he hadn't brought up such a painful topic. " Speaking of which, have you made up your mind? The time has come for you to give me a definite answer.", he remarked, his voice sounding oddly menacing. The combination of dim lighting and eerie shadows made the half demon look somewhat frightening. She gulped then scooted away from him.  
  
" I've decided that I'm going to help you find the Shikon jewel shards.", she declared firmly. What Yuki did next surprised her greatly. He smiled at her, a real smile, and not the sarcastic or smug smiles she was used to seeing. " You've done the right thing.", he said still beaming at her. " Would you stop doing that?", Kagome said crossly.  
  
The smile slipped from his face as he asked, " Doing what?" " Smiling like that, it's freaking me out.", she answered still sounding rather cross. " If that's what you truly want, Kagome.", Yuki replied, his voice dangerously neutral. She nodded her head, but said nothing.  
  
" You're not being very nice.", she told herself. It was hard to believe that the sometimes scary and continually mocking half demon had feelings, but for whatever reason she felt like she had just hurt them. " He saved you from being alone in the woods. The least you could do is refrain from saying mean things about his smiles.", Kagome admonished herself. Then she remembered the strange noises that had been following her prior to meeting Yuki.  
  
" Umm. Yuki? Right before you showed up, there was something chasing me. Did you happen to see what it was?", she asked tentatively. The half demon stared at her and then proceeded to say, " You needn't worry about that anymore." " And why not?", she questioned. "Because, Kagome, I ate it for dinner.", was his reply.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Inu Yasha had been sitting in the same tree for hours. He wasn't there because it was comfortable, not by any stretch of the imagination. The hanyou sat in the tree on account of the fact that it was the perfect place for him to wallow in self-pity.  
  
What else could he do? Kagome was gone, and the people that he had come to think of as friends were blaming him for it. In the back of his mind, Inu Yasha knew that there was probably some truth to their statements. However, he didn't feel like facing up to it at the moment.  
  
Her words kept spinning around in his head, never letting him have a moment's rest. " I have decided to help Yuki find the Shikon jewel shards", he shuddered as Kagome's voice echoed through his mind yet again. Who knew that one sentence could be so painful, certainly not him.  
  
All was not lost, because after hours of having the same phrase repeat itself over and over again, his troubled mind came up with an idea. Kagome had just decided to help that coward, and it was nothing more than that. People could change their minds couldn't they?  
  
" I'll find her and make her change her mind. I'll do whatever it takes.", he thought determinedly. Inu Yasha wasn't about to let that green haired idiot take Kagome away from him. Getting slightly carried away, he yelled out, " She belongs here with me." The thought shocked him, but he knew that it was true.  
  
Inu Yasha jumped down from the tree and landed with a soft thud on the dirt below. His former anger and misery had been washed away by the greatness of his plan. Nothing was going to stop him from finding that girl and returning things to the way they were.  
  
The white haired half demon took a deep breath, and suddenly froze. He could smell blood, Kagome's blood. " I'm coming, Kagome. Please be alright.", Inu Yasha whispered worriedly. He took off running in the direction in which her blood scent was the strongest.  
  
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A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it. This story still is a IY/KA fic. I just had to put Yuki back into the story. He's mean, scheming, and causing all sorts of unnecessary heartache, but I still like him. How could I not? He's my own creation. Thanks to anyone who has read and reviewed my story so far.  
  
Inuyashachic515: Don't worry. Thing's will get better. 


	18. A Fight with Tragic Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't Inu Yasha!  
  
A/N: I drew a picture of what I thought Yuki might look like. It's not that good of a picture. but at least you would get the general idea. If anyone's interested just email me and I will send you his picture.  
  
Like-anyother: Hmmm.. How could Yuki go through the well? In the anime/manga it hasn't explained how Inu Yasha is able to cross into Kagome's time. At least I think it doesn't, someone correct me if I'm wrong. So, maybe it has to do with the fact that Inu Yasha's half human/demon. If that's the reason, then Yuki should be able to go through the well too. On the other hand, it could just be that it was convenient for my story.  
  
Whew. long explanation! ON TO THE STORY!!  
  
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Inu Yasha raced through the woods following Kagome's blood scent. The trail of broken, crushed plants made it obvious that she'd been chased by something quite large. He hoped that he would be able to find her before it caught up to her.  
  
The path that he'd been following suddenly stopped. The smell of her blood lingered in the air, but all other traces of the girl had disappeared. Inu Yasha stopped so that he might pick up on some clue that would lead him to Kagome. His ears registered the sound of distant whispers, almost as if some one were talking. Quickly, Inu Yasha made his way towards the noise.  
  
As he got closer, Inu Yasha thought that he recognized the voice. " It kinda sounds like Kagome. But who would she be talking to?", he wondered. A great rush of relief crashed down upon him, because if she could talk then she was still alive.  
  
The only thing that bothered him was the second voice he heard. It was distinctly male. Growling slightly, the half demon barged his way into a clearing, from which the voices were emanating. The first person he saw was Kagome. Her legs were heavily bandaged, but other than that she seemed to be all right. He was surprised, and not pleasantly either, to find Yuki sitting next to her. It looked as though they were having a normal conversation, at least until he showed up.  
  
Yuki stood slowly and casually said, " Hello. How are you doing this fine evening?" Kagome turned to look at him with shock evident in her eyes. " I..Inu Yasha?", she stuttered.  
  
" What are you doing here?", he asked angrily, not even bothering to answer Yuki's question. " Well, seeing as Kagome has agreed to find the shards for me, I thought it would be nice to help her out. Protect her from other less friendly demons, and the like.", Yuki answered with a smirk on his face.  
  
" I'm gonna wipe that stupid smirk right off his face.", Inu Yasha thought viciously. Then he yelled, " I've had just about enough of you Kobayashi Yuki." He moved his hand the hilt of his sword, showing the other half demon that he wanted to fight.  
  
Of all the things he expected the green haired demon boy to do, laughing wasn't one of them. " I thought it might come down to this. You're in luck, because today I really feel like kicking your ass. ", Yuki said after he finished laughing.  
  
" He doesn't look so tough.", Inu Yasha snorted. This would surely be an easy win. He'd get rid of Yuki, and then he'd have Kagome all to himself. He watched as Yuki vanished into thin air, then reappear seconds later with something in his hands. It was a big, bulky broadsword. " Looks like he can't even hold it level, let alone fight with it. I bet it weighs more than he does."  
  
" I suppose I should carry this thing around with me, it being my very own sword and all. But it usually just gets in my way.", Yuki said softly sounding a bit embarrassed. Inu Yasha drew his Tetsaiga and asked, " You ready?" The green haired half demon advanced and the fight began; though it more closely resembled a bizarre kind of duel.  
  
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Kagome watched from a spot near the campfire. The two of them were fighting, each angry in their own way. She didn't understand why Inu Yasha was doing this. After all she'd practically betrayed him. She also didn't understand why she was silently praying that the hanyou wouldn't get hurt.  
  
" I don't know him, but I really want him to win this fight.", she thought confusedly. Inu Yasha wasn't loosing, but he wasn't exactly winning either. Neither Yuki nor Inu Yasha seemed to be able to get in a direct hit. Despite his awkward sword, Yuki blocked everything that Inu Yasha dished out.  
  
As she watched, a single memory escaped from the depths of her mind. It suddenly occurred to Kagome, that she'd seen Inu Yasha in a similar predicament somewhere before. Other memories began to break through flooding her mind with thoughts of Inu Yasha.  
  
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Fighting Yuki was harder than he originally thought, but it still wouldn't be that much of a challenge. One blow with his father's sword would end the whole thing. However, it was proving to be somewhat difficult. " At least he hasn't been able to cut me with that stupid sword of his.", Inu Yasha thought confidently. It was then that the hanyou made his first mistake.  
  
He'd decided to take a quick glance at Kagome. He wasn't quite sure why he'd done such a thing in the middle of a battle. Maybe he'd done it because he wanted to make sure that Kagome was really okay. Perhaps, he had looked her way to see if she worried about him at all. He shouldn't have done it, because his quick glance turned into a stare.  
  
Kagome was sitting on the ground with her hands holding her head as if she was in pain. She had a tortured look on her face, which threw him off guard. Had something happened to her? Inu Yasha was about to yell out her name, but was stopped by the pain of cold steel slicing into his arm.  
  
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Images of Inu Yasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were bombarding her every thought, and it hurt. It was as though she was remembering something that she wasn't supposed to.  
  
In her mind's eye, Kagome saw herself being hugged by Inu Yasha. She remembered the first time the hanyou had ever called her by her name. All of the times, and there were a lot of them, that he'd annoyed her came rushing back. She remembered being frustrated with him, mad at him, and concerned about his well fare. Most importantly, Kagome remembered that she loved him.  
  
She chose that moment to look up, only to see Inu Yasha being stabbed by Yuki. " I've got to help him. I can't sit here anymore.", she said to herself. There had to be something that she could do to make up for abandoning the hanyou.  
  
" If I could just talk to Yuki, maybe I can stop this before Inu Yasha gets injured again.", she thought determinedly. Kagome picked her self up off the ground and ran towards the fighting half demons.  
  
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Inu Yasha was getting tired and his arm felt incredibly sore. It was still functional, but it was starting to slow him down a little. He was bleeding from at least two other places that Yuki had managed to hit. That didn't bother him, he'd had worse. Yuki was still going down.  
  
That's when he noticed Kagome running towards them. " Idiot! Stay back", he yelled. If she got any closer she might get hurt. The stupid girl kept coming. What did she think she was doing? Moments later, she was almost in the middle of the battle itself, and getting closer. She began to call out Yuki's name.  
  
The distracted half-demon spun around at the sound of his name, bringing his broadsword with him. Inu Yasha watched in horror as the sword struck her. She stumbled back in shock, staring down at the gash in her side.  
  
Her pretty face began to lose some of its coloring, making her look quite pale. " Yuki please stop fighting with Inu Yasha.", she pleaded before falling to the ground. The green haired half demon stared down at his huge sword and whispered, " What have I done?"  
  
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Another Author's Note: I know this is a terrible cliffhanger, but don't worry I will have the next chapter out really soon. The story will be over in about two or three chapters, I think. Thanks to anyone who reads and reviews. I love to hear people's comments.  
  
I'm sorry if the fight scenes are not that impressive. However, if I were to try write an actual sword fight all the way through..it wouldn't be pretty. I don't know that much about it.  
  
Beth: Thanks for the inspiration!! Without your help, I don't think this chapter would ever have been written. She's my muse!! ^_^ 


	19. On Death's Door

The rating of this chapter has gone up to PG-13, just to be on the safe side. There's some blood, and a little bad language. but nothing more than that.  
  
  
  
Eddie: I'm sorry that it took me so long to post this next chapter. I meant to update my story much earlier. However, something quite unexpected came up, and I didn't have the time to write anything.  
  
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Even though it was well past midnight, Sango was determined to find Kagome, or at least make sure that she'd made it back to the well. She was still fuming over the fact that Inu Yasha had sent the poor girl away without even listening to what she'd had to say. If anything happened to Kagome it would be his fault.  
  
It hadn't taken her very long to find the girl's chosen path out of the clearing. Her other companions, Miroku and Shippo, diligently followed her as she followed Kagome's trail through the woods. Things went well until the other girl's tracks suddenly disappeared.  
  
" Its' like Kagome just vanished,", Sango thought to herself. There wasn't a single clue as to where she'd gone to next. She'd searched the entire area over and over again, trying to pick up on something that she might have missed.  
  
During that time, Shippo had fallen asleep next to Kirara. Miroku looked as though he too would like to fall asleep, but nevertheless he stayed awake. He kept asking her if she'd found any traces of Kagome. It made her a little mad that after all of her hard work, she hadn't been able to find a single lead.  
  
" Sango, you look tired. You should.", but before Miroku could finish talking, an angry scream rang through the forest. They looked at each other briefly, as they both instantly recognized the owner of the voice.  
  
" Shippo! Wake up!", she cried frantically. Sango scooped up the sleepy kitsune, not wanting to waste a single minute of time. Somewhere out there, Inu Yasha was in trouble. The hanyou had been a real jerk earlier, but he was still her friend.  
  
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Inu Yasha stared down at the fallen form of Kagome, in shock. " How could this happen? How could I let this happen?", he thought furiously. He knew that he ought to be helping her, but his feet were frozen to the ground. As a result, Kagome was practically bleeding to death right in front of his eyes.  
  
The other half demon wasn't doing much either. Yuki had fallen to his knees with the bloody sword laying beside him in the dirt. He too, could only watch helplessly as her life force ebbed away.  
  
It was only the miraculous appearance of Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Kirara that got his feet moving again. The horrified expressions on their faces brought him out of the shocked daze he was in.  
  
" Miroku! Sango! Get Kagome outta here. Take her to Kaede-sama as fast as you can.", Inu Yasha yelled roughly. He would catch up to them as soon as he took care of Kobayashi.  
  
Sango had Kirara change into her larger form, and both she and Shippo climbed on her back. Miroku gently picked up Kagome and settled himself Kirara's back with Kagome draped across his lap. Inu Yasha watched them leave, then turned his attention towards the other half demon.  
  
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Miroku looked down at the girl who was currently lying across his lap. Her eyes were closed, and her face was whiter than a sheet. The gash in her side was still bleeding quite heavily, not effected at all by the pressure he'd been applying to it.  
  
" Kagome-sama, wake up!", he said anxiously, tapping her face lightly with his fingers. However, none of his efforts to wake her up appeared to be working. He noticed Shippo staring at Kagome with sad eyes. That's why he wasn't too surprised when the kitsune asked, " Is she going die?"  
  
He shook his head, then added, " She has a chance if we can get to Kaede- sama's fast enough." Sango turned her head said encouragingly, " Kirara is going as fast as she can. We'll get to the village in no time." However, their words didn't help change Shippo's sad expression.  
  
Soft murmuring sounds brought the houshi's attention back to Kagome. Miroku looked down into her brown eyes that were now clouded with pain. She was whispering something, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He bent down closer to Kagome just in time to hear her mutter, " Inu Yasha."  
  
Then before he could assure her that the hanyou was coming, her eyes slid shut once again. " Don't worry Kagome-sama he'll be here. Just hang on and you'll see.", he declared firmly.  
  
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Inu Yasha looked down at Yuki who was still on his knees. Feelings of pure rage battled within him as he watched the other half demon. " Get up.", he growled. Yuki didn't move, he didn't even acknowledge that he'd been spoken to. " Get off your damn knees, and fight.", he yelled.  
  
His words finally got through to Yuki, because he slowly rose to his feet. He left his broadsword in the dirt and said slowly, " I won't fight you. Kagome didn't want me to fight you."  
  
At the sound of her name, Inu Yasha bristled. The bastard had sliced her with his own sword, and he dared to say Kagome's name as if he cared about her. " Don't you say her name. You did this. you hurt her.", he snarled barely able to contain his anger.  
  
The half demon stayed put, causing Inu Yasha's anger to grow. " You damn coward, at least pick up your sword and die with some dignity. Because I'm going to kill you whether you fight or not.", he yelled. Yuki lifted his dirty blade from the ground and held it loosely in his hand. " So he wants to fight, huh?", he thought briefly before rushing in to attack.  
  
However, the battle wasn't as furious as it had been earlier. Yuki was always on the defensive, never outright attacking him. Inu Yasha could feel the rage twisting and turning in side of him as he repeatedly hit the green haired half demon with everything he had. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to get the upper ground and totally kill the bastard.  
  
" It won't be much longer now.", Inu Yasha laughed harshly. Kobayashi was bleeding freely from various places on his body, and it looked as though his legs were about to give out. The hanyou took advantage of Yuki's weakness and knocked his broadsword out of his hands.  
  
Inu Yasha brought his sword to the now defenseless half demon's throat, and let it rest there for a moment. " Because of you, Kagome's life now hangs in the balance. For that, I will kill you, Kobayashi Yuki.", he said gravely.  
  
Then right as Inu Yasha was about to end his life with one lethal blow to the neck, the other half demon flickered out of sight. He stood for a second staring at the space that Yuki had once occupied.  
  
As much as he wanted to kill him, Inu Yasha couldn't waste any more time. He needed to find Kagome. " Please don't die, Kagome. I'm coming. I'll catch up to you just like I promised I would.", he howled miserably. There were still so many things he needed to say. With that he sheathed Tetsaiga, and began to follow Kirara's path through the woods.  
  
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Kagome opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself in a dimly lit room. "Where am I?", she wondered to herself. She sat up quickly so that she could get a better look at her surroundings. Doing so, however, caused her to cry out in pain. Her stomach screamed in protest, so she eased herself back down to her previous position.  
  
" Idiot, you shouldn't move around so much. Your wounds aren't even close to being fully healed.", uttered a rough voice. Kagome turned her head slightly, and saw the vague outline of Inu Yasha sitting in the corner of the room. " I..Inu Yasha?", she questioned.  
  
Upon hearing her words, the hanyou moved from his spot and came to sit beside her. She was still confused about where she was, and it really hurt to do anything but lie completely still. Kagome opened her mouth to ask him a question, but was stopped by the way Inu Yasha was staring down at her.  
  
The look in his eyes was one of concern, relief, anger, and some other emotion she couldn't identify. Kagome had never seen such a mixture of emotions, and it was oddly thrilling to know that it was all directed towards her.  
  
Silently, he took one hand and brushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes. " You need to sleep.", he whispered in a sort of choked voice. She felt his hand pat the top of her head and then go back to sweeping the hair off of her face.  
  
Kagome wasn't quite sure why he was being so nice, but it made her feel happy. She relaxed allowing herself to fall back to sleep. " Good night, Inu Yasha.", she murmured with a contented sigh as her eyes drifted shut.  
  
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A/N: Okay, I finally finished writing Ch. 19!! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!!! I've never gotten 100 reviews for a story that I've written. ^_^  
  
Any ways, I hope you all like this next installment. it took me sometime to finish it. 


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